Curated OER
Memories of School Days
Students interview, record, and retell school stories of a family member. They research, document, and describe how schools have changed over time.
Curated OER
Kids Get School Named for Obama
Students read about the renaming of a school for Barack Obama. For this political lesson, the teacher presents vocabulary words from the news article, then the students read the article and answer comprehension questions. Lesson includes...
Curated OER
Snappy Solutions, Sizzling Sentences
An examination of the figurative language in Gwendolyn Brooks’ To Young Readers challenges your writers to think about the richness of language. Ask your class why Brooks says, “Good books are bandages.” This discussion of alliteration,...
Curated OER
Collaborative Literature Circle For the 21st Century
Using ichat or Edmodo 4th -6th graders participate in an inter-school literature circle. Students from two different schools pair up online through ichat and use a blog to conduct a book circle. This lesson is wonderful; it fully...
Curated OER
Note-Taking: K.I.S.S. "Keep It Short and Simple"
Note-taking is an essential study skill, and it needs to be taught! In the context of a research project on energy sources, learners find multiple sources, evaluating, paraphrasing, and citing them correctly. Two lists with note-taking...
Curated OER
Where in the United States Are We?
Fifth graders collaborate with another fifth grade classroom while learning about various locations in the United States. This is a telecollaborative video conferencing project that is designed for students studying United States history...
Curated OER
Paper Recycling Program
Students design a campaign to encourage paper recycling at the school. In this recycling lesson, students try to persuade other students and staff members to adopt a new recycling program. Students work together in groups to come up...
Curated OER
Civil War Literature Circle
Historical fiction can be a valuable asset when learning about the past. Integrate several novels written about the Civil War into your social studies unit, with groups of four working collaboratively to comprehend the novel from...
K12 Reader
Community Connections
Who helps our community run smoothly? Read a short passage about community members and helpers. After kids finish the passage, they answer five short questions on the other side of the page.
Apple State University
Friendly Letter Mini-Lesson
This mini-lesson about informal letter writing is packed with a lot of information about writing a friendly letter. Class members begin by working in pairs to answer questions after reviewing letter models. Then, take part in a grand...
English Language Support Programme
Traditional Irish Music
Celebrate sean-nós, céilí, and the lilting music of the Emerald Isle with a set of language arts activities! Learners complete word puzzles, vocabulary exercises, and comprehension questions about traditional Irish music.
Novelinks
The Devil’s Arithmetic: Personal Narrative Assignment
How can an unfamiliar place help you learn something about yourself? Use a narrative writing prompt as you culminate your unit on Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic. Kids consider the ways that, like the main character from the novel,...
Curated OER
Satire Witch Project
Students examine the use of titles with video. They create a short horror film based on a classic work of literature or other subject area writing. Students use a single camera and a single shot. Using Adobe Premiere Elements, students...
Curated OER
Integrating Art Into Other Content Areas
Here are some ideas to help add an art lesson to every math, science, social studies, or language arts unit.
Curated OER
African Folktales
Learners examine the art of storytelling. In groups, they write their own African folktales, design costumes, props and scenery, and videotape folktale presented in dramatic form.
Curated OER
Invigorate Your Curriculum with the Poetry of Emily Dickinson
Dickinson’s poems enliven the disciplines of language arts, social science, and even math.
Curated OER
Tissue, Please!
Students study the proper manners to reduce the risk of spreading or catching colds and flu. They discover good cold-season manners from reading aloud Tissue, Please! They complete an art project to reinforce good cold-season manner
Curated OER
Cameras and Careers
Applying photography basics they learn for this project, first graders take pictures of an adult at work focusing on the tools used, the work site, and job responsibilities. After making a career book that includes photos and...
PBS
Dear Pen Pal
Explore cultures from around the world with an engaging pen pal resource. Through a series of classroom activities and written correspondence, children learn about the favoritec pastimes, schooling, geography, and weather that is...
State Library of Ohio
Tuck Everlasting
A great toolbox of ideas for any teacher preparing to teach the novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, this resource includes a short biography of Natalie Babbitt, several discussion questions that could double as writing prompts,...
Curated OER
Making Service Count
Students investigate the importance of community service by creating their own project ideas. For this volunteering lesson, students research stories of Peace Corps Volunteers and how they were able to have a positive effect in their...
Curated OER
Around the World in 180 Days
Where did I come from? How did I come to be in this classroom? Using curriculum from Kidspiration, class members research the homelands of their ancestors, as well as the journeys that began from many parts of the world and ended with...
Curated OER
What Makes Our Community Special?
Explore websites, complete research, and use technological tools to create a final multimedia presentation on what makes a community special. Learners of all ages work with a partner to research an interesting aspect of their community,...
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to Al Capone Does My Shirts
It's hard to imagine that life on Alcatraz could be dull. A series of intriguing lessons take readers through the novel Al Capone Does my Shirts. Pre-reading questions introduce the text and a range of suggestions, from comic strips to...